Aeternum
by Gwntan12
Summary: "Sure, living through all these endless years may have been torturous, but if I hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to meet all of you. That is one thing I won't ever regret."
1. Prologue

The man sat alone, staring down the side of the deserted mountain temple, the wind whipping at his hair and face. Humans will always be the same, won't they? The very state of the temple proved that fact to him. Humans won't ever stop fighting, no matter what.

One hundred years. A hundred years of war. If that didn't prove anything, he didn't know what would.

He laughed humorlessly. He was beginning to think like the Homunculi, wasn't he?

Golden eyes darkened slightly. Everyone... Both old and new friends... They were all gone. Dead. Even his little brother...

"Al..." He whispered slightly, a tear slipping out of his eye. "I'm sorry..."

He wouldn't ever forgive himself. It was his fault, that his country fell in just one night. Just like Xerxes. He snorted lightly to himself. Just like father like son, as most people would say.

It was amazing that he hadn't gone mad, after all these endless years of torture. He could hear them, screaming in agony in his head everytime he closed his eyes.

He deserved it, that was his thinking every waking moment of his life. He deserved the pain he was in. He had no right to wish for happiness in death.

All those years ago, before that fateful day, he always wished for a nice quiet life, away from all the hardships. Yeah, he'd just go back and become a farmer, or something, maybe a traveler, or a researcher.

It should have been that simple, right?

Of course not.

After all, the universe could be a bastard at times.

The first time the universe decided to screw with him -on it's own accord without him provoking it- was when he gained the curse of immortality. Why people would wish for this, he had no idea. Why would anyone want something that played on your sanity every waking minute? Watching your loved ones grow old and die while you outlived them, what could be more torturous than that? That day he saw his little brother die, was the day he lost a part of himself.

The second time the universe screwed with him, was when he watched an entire race burn. He was there, and yet he couldn't do a single damn thing, no matter how hard he tried. It was like the eradication of the Ishbalans again, which took place countless years ago.

The Air Nomads burned, as he watched the Fire Nation storm the temple, looking for a twelve year old boy.

He had met him before, and the first thought he had upon meeting that kid, was that he was in no way, shape or size ready to be the world's saviour, the Avatar.

Children shouldn't be forced to bear such a burden, he thought, a humorless smile slipping onto his face. Of course, he would know. After all, he joined the military when he was twelve, hadn't he? He lost his childhood when he was eleven, and allowed more then fifty million people to die on his watch.

Reality was cruel, wasn't it?

That kid couldn't seem to take his burden. He lost everything he had, the moment he found out, and what normal boy wouldn't crack under the weight of their burden?

He ran away, and just a few weeks later, everything went to hell. War broke out, and the Air Nomads were annihilated, with the Avatar going missing.

He was just too late to save them. He's should have never left, even if it was for just a week, with the signs of war looming. He saw his friends burn to death, and for that, he'll never forgive himself, like he never did for what happened to Amestris.

Edward Elric closed his eyes, listening to the wind whip at his gold hair, reflecting on how his life had turned out.

He was all alone now, with everyone he knew gone. The Colonel, Hawkeye, Armstrong, Ling, Al, Winry...

Now that he thought about it, he never did get to tell Winry that he loved her, did he?

Staring off into the distance, he noticed a beam of blue light break through the clouds. Even from where he was, he could tell what it was. The Avatar had finally returned, after one hundred years of absence.

He smirked slightly. "Well Roku, your reincarnation is finally back in the game. I wonder if he'll remember his big brother."

Ed jumped to his feet, his smirk never leaving his face. "Aang... The world has changed much in your absence. How will you handle this unfamiliar world?"

He knew Aang would come back one day.

 **[A/N Alright, I really ought to just stick with one story, and finish it before I start another, but damn, my brain is just simply over flowing with ideas! And since I'm writing this, it probably should be a hint to my readers that yes, I'm still alive and my mom has not murdered me for my school grades. I'll still update the other stories, so yeah. Anyway, please tell me if you want me to continue this!**

 **~ Gwntan12]**


	2. Reunion

Ed closed his eyes as he stood in front of Monk Gyatso's grave. The grave of them man who helped him. The grave of a good friend. After the raid on the temple was over, when Ed returned, the dead were left lying on the ground, with no one to pick up their remains.

The least he could do for his fallen friends was to bury them.

After that, Ed had nowhere else to go, so he just stayed, tending to the temple and graves, making sure they were all in good condition. It didn't matter how long he stayed. After all, he had all the time the world could possibly offer.

"Hey, Gyatso..." Ed smiled sadly. "I haven't visited you for a while now, have I?" He choked back a sob. "Aang... He's coming back home soon. I knew you missed him, so I left to find him." Ed let out a hollow chuckle. "I shouldn't have left."

He reopened his eyes, and stared pleadingly at the stone grave, one of the many he had created for the dead. "What should I do, once he comes back? I don't want him to suffer anymore, but he has to face everyone's deaths. He reminds me too much of Al. He's too innocent to face this."

The low growl of an Air Bison caught Ed's attention, before he smiled sadly. "I have to go now... I'll see you soon. Take care of my brother up there."

Giving the grave one more pat, he set off to go and find a certain Airbender and his bison.

~000~

Ed's eyes softened the moment his gaze landed on the bison which was chewing on some dried grass. "Hey, Appa."

The bison lifted it's head at the soft call, turning to stare at the approaching person wearily before recognizing the scent of a familiar person.

"Oof!" Ed grunted Appa soared over, before landing on said person, licking his face.

"Same as ever, I see." He deadpanned from under the bison. Honestly, he still didn't get why animals loved to pounce on him, before and after the Promised Day. Unlike his father, animals seemed to adore him. Why? He'll never know.

After convincing Appa to get off him, he cleaned himself off with a clap of his hands. "Do you know where Aang is?" Ed asked, before receiving a low moan from Appa.

"Playing Air Ball? I just passed by the court, and there's no one around." Ed rubbed the back of his head. "I guess I'll just look for him myself. Thanks anyway."

Appa gave a groan that sounded like a 'you're welcome' before turning back to his meal.

Ed stuck his hands in his pockets, and sighed. Well, there was only one place Aang could possibly be at right now. The Avatar sanctuary. "Well, time to get moving."

On his way to the sanctuary, he encountered a lemur, which decided to steal his food. Not that actually mattered since Ed didn't have actually have to eat to survive. So, he just gave all the food he had on him to the lemur, which resulted in the creature taking a liking to him, unfortunately.

Ed took his time, listening to his uneven footsteps as he made his way to the sanctuary, the lemur seated comfortably on his shoulder, playing with his hair.

The hallway was the same as always, with intricate Airbender symbols decorating the long hallway to the sanctuary. Ed wasn't going to admit it anytime soon, but he liked hanging around this area since it always felt so peaceful, and therefore made a secret room for himself around that area, some hundred years ago. Never did the monks ever figure out why fruits always fell on their heads every single time they walked through. Not that Ed actually told them.

Oh, good times, good times.

Upon reaching the doorway to the Avatar sanctuary, his guess was proven to be correct, if the open doors meant anything. Only an Airbender should be able to open those doors. Entering without using those doors, however, could be easily done if you were a decent Alchemist.

How Ed knew, was pretty much because he had always trespassed into the sanctuary to have a chat with Roku, even if it was considered disrespectful. Then again, what the monks don't know won't hurt them. And even after all these years, his favourite saying was still, 'If there isn't an entrance, then I'll make one!'.

Hearing whispers, Ed kept his expression neutral, as if he hadn't heard anything. No point ruining the tension.

Just as he entered, a yell of, "FIRE NATION!" caught his attention, just as a boomerang spun through the air, heading straight for him.

While Ed could actually just let the damn boomerang hit him, it still would hurt and quite frankly, Ed had no desire to feel the pain of a concussion even if it would heal immediately.

Letting his years of fighting instinct take over, Ed tilted his head to the sides the boomerang sailed past. And by this point, the lemur had already run off to who knows where. Huh, he was forgetting something...

What Ed forget, came back to him pretty quickly after that as the boomerang returned and hit him in the back head. So that's what he had forgotten...

"Ow..." He groaned as he rubbed the back of his head, red sparks dancing in thr air as the concussion healed, before he raised a questioning eyebrow at the thrower. "Really? The first thing that happens is that you give me a freakin' concussion?"

The thrower, who was about fourteen to maybe sixteen years old, was easily recognized as native from the Water Tribe. Which tribe, Ed couldn't really remember.

"Shut up, Fire Nation!" The person yelled, drawing out a cub.

Ed sighed. Ok, maybe he did look like he was from the Fire Nation, with his red coat and all, but really? "Sheesh, no need to yell." Ed commented flatly. "I saw Appa, and I guessed my little brother came back."

His eyes drifted to a statue, where he could see two figures crouched behind, one with a noticeably bald head with an arrow tattooed there. "Right, Aang?"

"Ed?" Said person stepped out from behind the statue, followed by a Water Tribe girl, his eyes shining with happiness.

"Wait, who is this guy?" The male who had thrown the boomerang asked suspiciously, still pointing the cub at Ed. Ed mentally snorted. As if something like that could hurt him.

Aang pushed the cub down, a large grin oh his face. "Ed's my older brother."

"WHAT?!"

"He's your older brother?"

Needless to say, both reactions of both Water Tribe natives were hilarious as they looked back and forth the two, trying to see any resemblance, which there was none of. Ed had blonde hair and gold eyes, both of which weren't that common, and Aang had grey eyes and no hair. Plus, Ed was only about an inch or two taller.

"Technically, he's not my biological brother." Ed commented offhandedly, amused by the reactions of the two.

"Yeah!" Aang grinned. "But Ed's still like a brother to me! We met when Monk Gyatso introduced him to me because Ed always liked pranking the monks and Monk Gyatso wanted him to show me some pranks!"

"What's funny is how they never figured out it was me altering their clothes to be shrink slightly every single day." Ed laughed.

"Oh! And Ed, these are my friends!" Aang said suddenly, gesturing to the two people standing to the side listening to their conversation.

"Hi!" The female smiled. "I'm Katara, and this is my brother, Sokka." She gestured to herself and her brother, who just grunted a "Hey."

"I'm Edward Elric." Ed grinned, bringing up his left hand for her to shake. "Call me Ed."

"Great, now that you're all done being friends and stuff, do you know where we can get some meat?" Sokka asked, his stomach growling.

"Nope!" Ed said cheerfully, causing Sokka to groan. "There's no meat up here, since the monks don't eat them."

"What?" He whined.

"Speaking of," Aang said while Sokka continued whining about how there was no meat. "Where are all the monks?"

Ed's eyes hardened slightly as he looked away. "Ed?" Aang asked cautiously, pausing as Ed's golden eyes lifted to meet his grey ones, eyes haunted with pain and sorrow.

"A lot can change in a hundred years... So... I... It's better if I just show you..." Ed mumbled quietly, turning away to walk out of the sanctuary, leaving the others staring.

"Ed?" Aang asked as said person led him down to the graveyard. "What are we doing here?"

Ed stopped in front of countless gravestones, eyes clouded with sadness, the meaning setting in, Aang's eyes widening. "This... Is where everyone sleeps. I'm sorry you had to come back to this."

Aang stumbled back a few steps, his eyes wide with horror. "What- what happened?"

"A few weeks after you left, the Fire Nation invaded. I wasn't around until they nearly killed everyone." Ed's shoulders shook, anger or sadness, one couldn't tell. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry I couldn't save them..."

Just then, Sokka came running up, a hungry look on his face. "Hey, has anyone seen my dinner?"

Ed glared sharply at the dense male, who recoiled at Ed's death glare which had been perfected over the few millenniums he had been alive for. When Ed was actually sixteen, and not just looking sixteen, his glare had already been pretty terrifying. So after ten thousand years... Yeah, that could probably sent the Dwarf in the Flask -And some of the more sadistic and emotionless of the Homunculi- running, screaming for his mommy.

"Sokka," Ed's eye twitched. "Now is not the time."

"What do you me-?" Sokka cut himself off, seeing Aang standing in front of more than a hundred gravestones, before he finally connected all the dots.

"O-oh... I'm sorry." Sokka muttered an apology, just as Ed noticed a pick up in the wind. He groaned. Oh dear... If his experiences with the past Avatars meant anything, this was definately not good.

As Aang's tattoos began glowing a ghostly blue, Ed's fears were confirmed. Well, shit. If they don't get blown of the side of the mountain, that would be a miracle itself. Well, Ed wouldn't actually die from such a measly fall -Believe me, he tried- but Sokka and Katara would.

"Aang, c'mon snap out of it!" Ed heard Sokka yell, before he was blown back, Ed managing to catch him by the back of his shirt in time. Jeez, why did he make the graves so close to the side of the mountain?

As the wind got to almost unbearable levels, Katara came stumbling up, barely managing to to keep her feet planted on the floor.

"What happened?" Katara cried, her hand shielding her eyes from the powerful winds.

"He's not taking the deaths of his people that well! His emotions must have triggered his Avatar spirit!" Ed yelled over the wind.

"That is an understatement!" Sokka yelped, ducking behind a large piece of rock.

Ed gritted his teeth against the wind, just as Katara yelled over the wind, "I'm going to try calm him down!"

"Alright, but do it before he blows us off the mountain!" Sokka yelled, holding onto the piece of rock like it was his lifeline.

Katara barely made it a few steps, before she was blown backwards, Ed catching her. "Be careful!" He warned, steadying Katara. "He's not aware of what he's doing right now!"

Ed cursed under his breath as he nearly got knocked over his feet, before he finally decided doing what he should have done before. Clapping his hands together, he placed his hands on the floor, the sparks running through the ground as a wall rose up from behind him and Sokka, providing them some safety.

Katara looked at Ed gratefully, before once again trying to make her way towards Aang. "Aang, I know you're upset, and I know how hard it is to lose the people you love! I went through the same thing when I lost my mom! All the other Airbenders may be gone, but you still have a family! Sokka, Ed and I, we're your family now!"

At this, Ed could see Aang calming down considerably at this, so he decided to add in something of his own. "Aang! You have to remember that you're not alone, unlike how I was! I didn't have anyone to support me after everyone I had died! But we're here for you! You aren't alone!"

By this time, the powerful winds had decreased to a breeze as the glow Aang's tattoos and eyes faded away, leaving him exhausted as he collapsed, Katara catching him before he hit the ground.

"Ugh... Katara?" Aang whispered weakly. "I guess I really am the last Airbender..."

"Yeah, but you're not alone." Sokka assured him with a reassuring pat in the shoulder. Ed smiled slightly at this, knowing that Aang really made some great friends. But there was a pang of sadness in his heart, remembering his own friends who were all dead. Ed could still remember that day, ten thousand years ago, where he woke up in the middle of Amestris, with everyone he knew and cared about gone.

Their cold unfocused gazes seemed to accuse him, admonish him for his failure to save their lives. Even Al and Winry... There was nothing more painful than seeing the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with lying on the floor, her usually warm hands cold.

Looking back at the sight before him, a hardened glint came into his eyes. He wouldn't let them feel what he felt ever again, not if he could help it.

~000~

Ed loved feeling the wind on his face, which was why he had chosen to stay up at the Air Temple. The wind was free to go where it pleased, and somehow, he envied the wind for that. If he looked at it from a certain angle, he could say the wind was the souls of his dead friends, free to rest in peace, while he was forced to stay on the ground, tied to the earth for eternity.

Unfair, yes, but it was a deserving punishment. More fifty million people were dead because of him.

"Hey Ed!" The cheerful voice broke Ed out of his thoughts, and as he turned his head, he was met with the smiling face of Aang, who had a lemur sitting on his shoulder. Probably the same one that took a liking to Ed, so he decided to just not question it.

"Yeah?" Ed asked, raising a questioning eyebrow at his adopted younger brother. Aang only ever got like that if he wanted him to do something, and Aang would act in that manner, even if the favour was good or bad.

"I was wondering... Would you like to come with us?" He asked cheerfully, his eyes sparkling. "I mean, you must get lonely up here all by yourself, so why don't you come with us? We can go ride those Elephant Coi you told me about!"

Ed paused at this, considering this idea. Huh... Maybe he should go. After all, he had been itching for some excitement for awhile now. It's been a hundred years since he had any excitement of any sort. Besides, his fighting skills were getting rusty and since there was a war going on...

"Sure," Ed shrugged. "I've been itching for some excitement lately, so why not?"

"Great! I'll go tell Katara and Sokka!" Aang cheered before he ran off.

Ed shook his head in amusement. Kids. Turning back to the grave in front of him, Ed smiled softly. "I'm back Gyatso, but I don't know when I'll visit you again. I'll be leaving with Aang. Don't worry about him, though. I'll keep him safe from harm. I won't fail this time." Giving the grave one last look, Ed turned away and kept on walking, moving into a new chapter of his life.

 **[A/N Heyyyy! I'm back! I swear, this is fun! Even though got stuck once or twice, but bah! Who cares? Anyway, so I'm pretty excited to write the next chapter, since it's Kiyoshi island, the island of one of the past Avatars! And since Ed is immortal, and if you couldn't get it from my hint in the chapter, he's probably met a few Avatars and so he's likely to have been to the island before. Maybe.**

 **So yeah, I hope you enjoyed this, so please tell me what you think!**

 **~ Gwntan12]**


	3. The Wariors of Kyoshi

Ed had been dozing ever since they had taken off the ground. Flying didn't seem so exciting anymore, not after Aang had given him plenty of rides on Appa, most of which included elaborate spins, turns and such. It wasn't very good for Ed's poor stomach at first, but after the number of rides given hit double digits, it didn't affect him so much anymore. Once they hit triple digits, he just became numb.

Though, Ed did wake up once he heard Sokka say, "...I'm just saying, girls are better at sewing, while guys are better at fighting, hunting and stuff like that. It's the natural order of things."

Before Katara could retort, Ed just cracked an eye open, and spoke, startling the other passengers who thought he had been sleeping. "Don't even go there Sokka." Ed groaned, going back down memory lane. "I know quite a few females who can fight. I knew a lady who had pinpoint accuracy with weapons, as well as a girl who had a surprisingly good aim when it came to throwing tools at me head. Hell, my teacher who thought me everything I know from fighting to basic skills was a female." Ed rubbed the back of his head and shuddered. "And damn, I really wished we had a warning before she taught us."

"You see Sokka?" Katara spoke with an air of triumph around her. "Girls can be tough too!"

"Yeah, but guys are still better at those than girls are, even if there were some who could fight a little." Sokka retorted, staying firm to what he believed, forgetting that it was Katara who was mending _his_ pants.

"Idiot." Ed muttered, knowing that Sokka had most probably was going to have to mend his own pants now, which might prove difficult since Ed was willing to bet his alchemy that Sokka had no idea how to sew, much less fix his own underwear.

Sure enough, Katara scowled deeply at her brother, before breaking out into a fake smile. "All don't with your pants! And look at what a great job I did!" She finished by throwing Sokka's unfinished pants at said person, who spluttered in shock as the garment hit him squarely in the face.

"W-wait! Katara! I can't wear these!" Sokka spluttered, his entire arm managing to pass through the large tear in his pants.

"Relax, Sokka! Where we're going, you won't be needing any pants!" Aang reassured him, not like it had any effect, though.

Ed watched the poor Water Tribe male flounder for a few moments more, before sighing deeply, holding his hand out. "Pass over your damn pants. I'll fix them, so quit whining."

Clapping his hands together, he placed them on the ripped fabric, watching as the familiar blue light he was so used spark, the fabric of Sokka's pants knitting back together flawlessly before the light died down.

"Here." Ed tossed Sokka's pants back at him, which funnily enough, landed on his face this time as well.

Just then, he noticed the stares from all the passengers on the large bison. "What? You never see a guy fix stuff before?" Ed asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"No... I thought you were an Earthbender because of that time back at the Air Temple when you bent the ground to make a wall, but I've never seen any kind of bending like that before, especially with that blue lightning!" Katara was the first to snap out of her suprise, speaking out her thoughts.

"But Ed, didn't you tell me you were a non bender?" Aang asked curiously, while managing to steer Appa.

Ed rubbed the back of his head, his mind working at ludicrous speeds, because really, Alchemy was conisdered a dead art -Alright, it might as well be since he was the only one in the world who could do it- and how the heck was he supposed to explain how he knew it?! He never showed his Alchemy to anyone, not even Aang! Monk Gyatso, on the other hand, well, he didn't actually have to come up with an excuse since Gyatso already knew who he was from the legends..."Uhhhhh... It's something I came up with in the last hundred years...? And besides, there are a lot things abou me you don't know."

Great. That excuse was just pathetic.

"Wow, I didn't know something like that could exist," Aang said in awe. "I wonder if you can teach me that, since I'm the Avatar!"

"... I guess..." _I can't. Even if I wanted to, I can't. They've lost their ability to use Alchemy._

"Wait, hold on. You just said, 'in the last hundred years'. Then shouldn't you be some wrinkly old man, or something?" Sokka asked suspiciously.

 _Crap._

At Sokka's observation, Aang and Katara seemed to realize this, nodding their heads in agreement.

"I was wondering that too," Katara said thoughtfully. "But I guess I kind of forgot about it. If you knew Aang a hundred years ago, why do you look like you're his age?"

Ed fumbled with his words, stuttering as he tried to come up with a plausible excuse as to why he was still so young when he should be in fact a hundred years old -Ten thousand, actually, but they didn't need to know that-.

 _Great going Edward. You've just blown your cover. Now what?_

"Uh... Umm... Hey, wait a second! Did you just say I look like I'm Aang's age?! I'm not twelve, I'm sixteen, damn it!" A while back, Ed realized he wasn't going to grow anymore, much to his annoyance. Which meant he was going to be... vertically challenged till the day he dies, which wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

Sokka's jaw fell open, his brain registering this new fact. "How can that be? You're so sma-"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A MICROSCOPIC PIPSQUEAK?!"

Just then before Ed could possibly murder Sokka for even suggesting he was small, Aang's face split into a large grin as he spotted their destination before he pulled on Appa's reigns, all previous anger dissipating as Aang announced their arrival. "There it is!"

Landing on the beach, Ed slid down from Appa's saddle and just fell over onto the sand, sighing in relief, proving it was actually possible to breathe face down on sand without getting sand into his windpipes. "Ah, land. Flying isn't too bad, but I still love land better."

"Don't worry about Ed," Aang informed the other two. "Ed likes land better than flying."

"You gave me a horrible first impression of flying." Ed commented drily as he sat up once again. "I didn't know it was possible to do so many spins and loops in just a minute."

"You said you could handle it!"

"... Fine, but you didn't actually have to go overboard! I lost my lunch mid-air!"

"Alright, enough chatting!" Sokka interrupted, putting his hands in a time out gesture. "Didn't we just make a pit-stop yesterday? We'd cover much more ground if we kept on flying."

"He's right Aang. At the rate we're going, we aren't going to get to the North Pole till' spring." Katara agreed.

"Ah, give him a break. Kid needs some fun." Ed said, waving his hand dismissively, but was ultimately ignored.

"But Appa's tired already. Aren't you boy?" The bison just stood there, unmoving. Ed facepalmed. Yeah, Appa definately wasn't tired. Aang probably just needed an excuse as to why they stopped.

"I said, aren't you boy?" Aang nudged Appa, who finally got the hint and moaned loudly, which everyone took as a yes, with Aang grinning widely.

"Yeah, that was real convincing." Sokka said sarcastically, folding his arms over his chest. "Still, I find it hard to argue with a ten ton magical monster."

"Look!" Aang suddenly exclaimed, pointing out at the sea, where several large fish that Ed identified as Elephant Coi could be seen leaping out of the water. "That's why we're here, Elephant Coi! And I'm gonna ride it! Katara, Ed, you've gotta watch me!" Aang finished stripping down to his underwear, before dashing to the water and landing with a splash, only to resurface at least half a second later, with a yell of, "COOOOOOOOOOOOOLD!"

"Well, he's having fun." Ed commented drily, clearly enjoying the show as he sat on the sand while Sokka just deadpanned at the Airbender, giving the cuckoo sign.

"Why don't you join him?" Katara suggested, standing next to Ed. "I mean, you must have rode them before, seeing as how you told Aang about them."

Ed stared at her. "How do you know that?"

"Aang mentioned it when he was telling us where we would be going, while you were asleep."

"Ah, that would make sense. And in response to your question, no. To tell you the truth, I've never rode the Coi before and it was actually Aang's idea to ride them. I can't ride them, considering the fact I can't swim." Ed finished before looking back at the sea, a small smile playing on his lips.

Katara looked back at Aang who was clearly having fun, before she commented, "He looks pretty good out there."

Sokka snorted. "Are you kidding me? The fish is doing all the work!"

Suddenly, Ed piped up. "I could be wrong, but is Appa supposed to be eating that? My knowledge on poisonous plants is getting rusty."

Katara gasped, before running to stop the bison. "Appa, don't eat that!"

"Ah, so it is poisonous." Ed helpfully commented, before stretching, yawning loudly. "Man, when was the last time I slept?"

Just then, Sokka's panicked voice caught his attention. "There's something out there!"

Squinting, the blonde Alchemist was able to make out a dark shape moving from under the water. He racked his brains, calling upon his knowledge of the area. Kyoshi Island: An island in the middle of the ocean, separated from the mainland by Avatar Kyoshi. The surrounding waters home to the Elephant Coi and the... Unagi...

Well, shit.

"What wrong?!" Katara returned, a slightly panicked tone in her voice.

"There's something in the water!" Sokka exclaimed, waving his aens around in a comical manner which would have made Ed laugh if the situation wasn't so dire.

"Aang, get out of the water!'

"It's not safe!"

However, these cries fell unnoticed to Aang, who was unable to hear them through the wind. Mistaking their actions as them cheering him own, he waved at them, before the fish he was on went down into the water abruptly, causing him to let go, sending him flying and landing into the water with a splash.

"Ah, crap!" Ed yelled, running to the shore, completely forgetting one important detail. He can't swim.

Luckily though, he was reminded of this particular fact the moment the water splashed up at his knees. Clapping his hands, he transmuted the water into ice, creating a pathway fir himself.

"Aang!" As soon as he reached the area where Aang had landed, Ed pulled said person out of the water, just as the Unagi suddenly swung up it's tail, smashing the ice, sending both Ed and Aang into the water.

Three seconds later, Ed's head broke the surface of the water, him spluttering and coughing. At least they were still in the shallow area, and not in an area where he would sink down into the dark depths of the ocean. While he couldn't die, it sure would be uncomfortable down there. And if he wasn't mistaken, there were some pretty nasty fish down there. Probably nastier than the overgrown catfish here that was trying to eat him and Aang.

"Holy mother of-!" Ed barely managed to get his sentence out before dragging Aang out if the Unagi's reach.

"Ah, screw this!" Clapping his hands together, Ed slammed his hands on the sand, launching him and Aang off the floor, sailing through the air before finally landing in an ungraceful pile on the sand of the beach.

"Aang, get yo' foot off my face."

"Whoops, sorry Ed."

"I am not saving you from overgrown catfish again."

Clambering to his feet, Ed brushed the sand off himself, before clapping his hands once more, placing his hands on his soaked clothing before there was a puff of steam.

"H-how did you do that?!" Sokka gaped at Ed.

"Hmm?" Ed glanced over at him. "I vibrated the water molecules continuously at a quick pace to produce heat."

"But how?!"

"Do I really have to give you a long science lesson about friction?" Ed asked, getting slightly impatient. "Because I can bore you to death by talking about how friction works for the next week or so without a break."

Sokka made a rather unmanly sound before inching away.

"What was that creature, anyway?' Katara asked, slightly shaken up from the events.

"Let's not stick around to find out." Sokka said as Aang pulled on his clothes. "Time to hit the road."

Just as he finished his sentence, several people dressed in what Ed recognized as what Avatar Kyoshi used wear, dropped out from the trees as an ambush.

Needless to say, Ed's team was taken out pretty quickly, save for the Alchemist. After all, it would have been pretty pathetic if Ed was taken out by the same fighting style he had taught to Avatar Kyoshi.

However, one look at his downed team, Ed simply decided to surrender. The inhabitants of Kyoshi Island had stayed out of the war so far, and they probably intended to keep it that way. And hopefully, they wouldn't kill them.

~000~

The four were taken to the village and tied to a pole with Avatar Kyoshi's statue on it. Actually, it was only Ed who knew since he had been to the village a hundred and fifty years ago and seen the statue. The reason why the other three didn't see the statue was because all of them were blindfolded.

"You four have some explaining to do." An old man could be heard saying.

"And if you don't answer all of our questions, we're throwing you straight back to the Unagi." It was a female speaking this time.

"Show yourself you cowards!" Ed heard Sokka yell, and the Alchemist resisted the urge to kick him. No, you don't antagonize your enemy! Alright, granted that Ed had done it a few times in the past, but still.

The blindfolds were pulled off, revealing the female warriors who had taken them down. Ed sighed. Now that he thought about it, he did miss Kyoshi. She was just like Hawkeye, minus the guns.

"Who are you?! And where are the man who attacked us?!" Sokka, in Ed's opinion, was really stupid. If he had met Teacher or General Armstrong, he'd be retracting his opinion of women being weaker than men really quickly.

"There were no men. We ambushed you! Now tell us who you are and what you are doing here!" One of them who was more than likely the leader commanded.

"Wait, hold on sec. There is no way a bunch of girls took us out." Sokka snorted disbelievingly.

"Idiot." Ed mumbled under his breath. Sokka was definately going to learn this the hard way.

"A bunch of girls, huh? The Unagi is going to be eating well tonight." The female who had spoken previously said ominously.

"No, don't hurt him!" Katara exclaimed. "He didn't mean it. My brother is just an idiot sometimes."

"It's my fault. I'm sorry we came here, but I just wanted to ride the Elephant Coi." Aang apologized, looking down at the ground.

"How do we know that you're not Fire Nation spies?" The village Elder asked suspiciously. "One of you even dons Fire Nation colors."

Aang, Katara and Sokka stared at Ed, who was clearly wearing red and black.

"Hey, it's not my fault that I think red is a badass color!" Ed protested, defending his choice of clothing. "I like this coat!" And besides, he wasn't about to change one of the only links he had to Amestris.

"Kyoshi has stayed out of the war so far, and we intend to keep it that way." The village Elder finished firmly. Ah, so Ed was right about Kyoshi keeping out of the war.

"This island is named after Kyoshi?" Aang asked, brightening up. "I know Kyoshi!"

"Impressive observation." Ed deadpanned. "And isn't Kyoshi the Avatar who hugs a pillow while sleeping?" He added quietly under his breath, so no one actually heard that last tidbit of information.

"Ha! How would you know her?" The elder laughed disbelievingly. "Avatar Kyoshi was born here over four hundred years ago. She's been dead for centuries."

"Didn't stop me though." Ed once again muttered under his breath.

"I know her, because I'm the Avatar." Aang smiled.

"That's impossible!" The leader of the warriors exclaimed. "The last Avatar was an Airbender who disappeared over a hundred years ago!"

"That's me! To the first." Aang said, a goofy grin on his face.

"Through the imposter to the Unagi!" The Elder declared, the Kyoshi warriors advancing on them with their fans. Why Kyoshi wanted to add in the fans, Ed will have no idea. The style was pretty good without the fans. Alright, granted the fans saved him some pain once, but still!

"Aang, we could use some Airbending here!" Katara said quietly and urgently.

"Because I'm not saving your butt from the catfish this time." Edward added.

Using his Airbending, Aang leapt into the air faster than the eye could see, making use of the fan on Kyoshi's statue to cut through the ropes before he slowly drifted to the ground, much to the shocked and amazed looks of the townspeople.

"It's true, you are the Avatar!" The Elder exclaimed in amazement. Ed almost snorted in amusement at the differance between ten thousand years ago and now. The second Avatar was almost burnt at the stake for 'witchcraft', for being able to manipulate four elements instead of one. It took them a hell lot of convincing from Ed before they decided to let the poor Avatar go without being burnt to ashes.

"Yeah, now check this out!" Aang grinned goofily once again as he pulled out some marbles before proceeding with his Airbending trick. Ed really didn't know how that little trick of spinning marbles could gain such an effect, with so much cheering. You'd think Aang discovered the cure for the Common Cold. In fact, Ed was pretty sure he saw one guy foaming at the mouth before promptly fainting.

~000~

Ed whistled. News spread quickly, from what he remembered, even if just by word of mouth. Gossipers really were a force to be reckoned with. Even back at Amestris, he would be the talk of the country, no matter where he went. What was funny, though, was that his fame was completely unintentional. Many people try so hard to get into the newspapers just for a minute of fame, while the twelve year old State Alchemist gets on the front cover of the newspaper every single time. That must have been quite a blow to some people's pride.

Currently, the small group was enjoying a meal of cakes, pastry and such.

"All right!" Aang cheered happily as he dug in. "Desert for breakfast! These people really do know how to treat an Avatar!" He exclaimed inbetween mouthfulls.

"Try not to choke, while you're at it." Ed casually remarked as he bit into a pastry. Ten thousand years into the future, pastries still tasted as good as the ones back in Amestris.

 _"No fair, brother! I wanted that!"_

 _"You're too slow, Al! First come, first serve!"_

Ed frowned, the small memories of his childhood drifting back up. Alphonse... he never was able to try out all those things he wrote in that book of his. Pasteries was just after what he wanted to eat most. Apple pie.

Shaking his head out of his depressing thoughts, he focused his attentiom on his companions' conversation.

"What's the matter, Sokka? Eat!"

"Not hungry." Sokka refused grumpily, sulking.

"But you're always hungry!" Aang pointed out. That was true. Sokka not being hungry was equvialent to Ed starting to drink milk. Yes, he still hated that repulsive juice that's secreted from a cow. Though it wasn't actually a cow anymore. In fact, Ed wasn't even sure what the animal that took the place of the cow was. Looked like some sort of Chimera. What happened, anyway? Ed still didn't understand why the animals mutated into those weird things. He liked the first generatin better, thank you very much.

"He's just upset that a bunch of girls kicked his butt." Katara explained smugly.

"They snuck up on me!" Sokka protested angrily.

"Right. And then they kicked your butt."

"Sneak attacks don't count!" Sokka stormed off in frustration, but not before gathering some of the food into his arms for eating on his way to where ever he was headed to.

Popping the rest of his food into his mouth, Ed brushed the remaining crumbs off his coat before standing up and heading for the window. Just as he put his foot on the window sill, Katara spoke up, "Ed, what are you doing?"

"Leaving?"

"There is a door, you know."

"Doors are boring!" Ed whined. "Oh, and if you need me, I'll be visiting someone I haven't visited in a long time."

Before Katara could say anymore, Ed swung over the ledge and landed on the ground with a slight thump, before he got up and ran off.

"What was that about?" Katara wondered aloud.

Aang shrugged. "Ed's like that. Also, what's Sokka so grumpy about? It's great here, they're giving us the royal treatment!"

"Hey, don't get too comfortable here," Katara admonished. "It's risky for us to stay in one place for too long."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Aang reassured her as he took another bite of his food. "Besides, can't you see how happy I'm making this town? They're even repainting the statue in my honor!"

"It's nice to see you being excited about being the Avatar, but I really hope this doesn't go to your head." Katara said worriedly.

"C'mon, you know me better than that," Aang smiled. "I'm just a simple monk."

Getting up from his seat to look out of the window, the squeals of girls caught Aang's attention and when he looked down, well, safe to say that he had just gained a fanbase. Aang blushed at this while Katara stuck her tongue out.

Simple monk? Famous last words.

~000~

Ed trudged slowly to his intended destination, in his hand he clutched a small bouquet of flowers. Lilies. His mom had always loved them...

Right in front of a small cliffside, a small headstone, worn after endless years of exposure to weather, sat innocently beside two identical ones. Sitting down, Ed brushed the surface of the stones gently, smiling sadly. "Hi... It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Trisha Elric, Alphonse Elric, and Winry Rockbell, had already been dead for ten thousand years.

Ed sighed. Kyoshi island, if you wanted to look at it from techincal terms, was his birthplace. Previously Resembool. The size of Kyoshi was actually half of the original Resembool, after that idiot -Chiny the Conqueror?- decided to take over what was previously Amestris, and invaded half of what was previously Resembool until Kyoshi stepped in. It was kind of sad that half of his birthplace was gone, but he'd take what he could get, since he still knew that his loved ones could rest peacefully without being disturbed like the the other graves had.

Ed sat in silence for a few more minutes, listening to the rustling of leaves in the wind.

"Mom... Al... Winry... I miss you guys." Curling up, Ed brought his forehead down on his knee, his arms wraping around his legs. "I'm so sorry mom, I promised I would take care of Al, but I didn't. He's probably suffering somewhere inside of me, and it's my fault! I'm so sorry, I never managed to keep my promise to Winry!"

Ed went silent again, letting the tears he had been holding come. He said he wouldn't cry, not when Al couldn't, but now, Al was already dead. Winry wasn't there anymore to cry for him. Ten thousand years before, after the Promised Day, he couldn't accept their deaths. The undenaiable truth was there. They had been the only reason he hadn't dropped himself off a cliff. His only reason for living after Human Transmutation. Now that they were gone, he didn't actually have a reason to keep living.

He tried to kill himself. He failed. The Philosopher Stone wouldn't let him die.

Ed blinked suddenly, slapping himself lightly on the face.

"Idiot." He mumbled to himself. "I can't keep looking back. I have to keep walking, no matter what."

Ed looked back at the small gravestone. "That's what you would have told me, right Al?"

As he got up to leave, he couldn't be sure, but he really thought he heard Al's voice. _"I don't blame you brother, I'm proud of you..."_

~000~

Walking back to town, and after seeing Aang being chased around by his newly acquired fangirls with mild amusement, Ed decided to see the Kyoshi warriors practice. Ed had to admit, that was probably one of the best styles he had created, albeit with Kyoshi's help. Although the outfit was Kyoshi's choice. It had too much extra fabric and hindered with fighting, but no, Kyoshi didn't listen.

Ed will still never ever understand how on earth Kyoshi managed to fight in that getup.

Nearing the practice area after getting lost a few times, Sokka's voice drifted to Ed. "-really have to? It feels a little... girly."

Ed didn't bother listening to the other's -Suki, he believed was her name- explanation of what the uniform represented since Kyoshi already drilled it into his brain, and looked in, only to burst into laughter. He was expecting something, but certainly not this.

Sokka was wearing the complete uniform of the Kyoshi warriors, right down to the makeup.

"H-hey Sokka!" Ed smirked inbetween giggles. "Try-trying a new look? Oh man, wait till' Katara hears about this!"

Sokka's flush of embarrassment could be seen clearly through the makeup. "Sh-shut up!" Sokka grumbled, poorly hiding his embarrassment. "Why are you here anyway?"

"I just wanted to see how the fighting style here uses their opponent's energy against them." Ed looked at Suki. "Well, if that's alright with you." Even if the fighting style was just a spinoff the one he uses on a daily basis.

"It's fine." Suki said, giving her consent.

"And Sokka, why are you here? I thought you said, and I quote, 'Guys fight better than girls'?"

Listening to Sokka's explanation, Ed shrugged. "You had it coming. Just be glad it wasn't my teacher. She'd have thrown butcher knives at you."

The look Ed had in his eyes made Sokka feel that he really didn't want to know.

~000~

Much later, Ed was comfortably seated at the side, watching Sokka try to execute the moves for the fighting style. Ed could have easily pointed out all of Sokka's mistakes -Hell, he could have written a friggin' list!- but didn't. Mainly because it wouldn't be fair to Sokka' seeing as how Ed was the one who taught this style to Kyoshi.

The style had only changed a little throughout the years, but one thing remained constant. The fighting style always made use of turning the opponents' force against them. Ed had to say, Suki was good at this. Almost as good as Kyoshi was, but not quite there. And Sokka, despite all the mistakes, he was actually progressing pretty well for only having started less than two hours ago.

No matter how bad Sokka was at fighting at the current state of time, Ed had a feeling Sokka was going to be a great fighter sometime in the future. And hopefully, that time would be when they were fighting in some crucial battle.

If not... well, Ed wouldn't say they were screwed, but close enough. The fighting skill of one person on the battle field could save or destroy the lives of the rest.

"You're not going to get it in one day, you know." Suki commented. "Even I'm not that good."

"I think I'm starting to get it." Sokka performed a series of movements before he threw the fan out of the dojo, hitting a tree.

"Kyoshi's style isn't based on brute force," Ed commented from the sidelines, propping his chin up on his hand. "It's more of using your opponent's energy against them."

"You know a lot about our fighting style, despite not being a local." Suki said, slightly impressed at Ed's knowledge.

He shrugged dismissively. "My family were descendants of the locals here, during Kyoshi's time. They knew the style, and passed it on. I still know it, but I tweaked it to fit my own capabilities." _'Well technically, I created it, but they don't need to know that.'_

Sokka's jaw comically dropped open in disbelief, causing Ed to raise an eyebrow. "What? Close your mouth before you catch flies, and besides, didn't I tell you there were a lot of things about me you didn't know?"

There was a silence, before Ed spoke up once again. "Hey, you can continue now, you know?"

~000~

About an hour later, Ed was in need of some food. Even though he didn't actually need food to live, he still got hungry. Sort of like how Ling still emptied his supply of emergency food even when he was still a Homunculous. Speaking of that crazy Xingese prince, Ed really did wonder what happened to him since he was still alive after the Promised Day...

However, all thoughts of this were forgotten, when the village elder suddenly burst in, looking frantic. "Firebenders have landed on our shores! Girls, come quickly!"

"I'm not a-!" Sokka started to portest, before being cut off by Ed who interrupted him before pushing him out the door. "You sure look the part, Sokka. Now get going!"

Running ahead and ignoring Sokka who was clearly upset at being called a girl, Ed decided to look for Aang. If Kyoshi had stayed out of the war, like they had said, the only reason Firebenders would be here would be because of Aang.

 _Jeez, that kid sure knows how to get in trouble more than I do!_

Right, now came the issue of how he was going to find Aang. The last time he saw him, he was busy getting chased by his new fangirls, and Ed highly doubted that was the case right now, since most of the villagers should be hiding inside their houses.

True enough, the streets were deserted, void of any living thing.

"Man! When I want to find him, I can't find him! And when don't I want to find him, he's always there!" Ed yelled in frustration, taking out his anger on an unfortunate piece of rock. "Why did I not learn how to sense Qi from Ling or May?!"

Ed ended up running around aimlessly for several minutes, until he stumbled across the Firenation men. Well, just one since the Kyoshi warriors had pretty much taken down the others before getting defeated.

Funnily enough, he looked like he was fifteen. But even so, he had probably been through a lot, if the burn scar over his left eye was any clue.

"Come out, Avatar! These little girls can't hide you forever!" He yelled.

"Maybe, but if you want to get to Aang, you go through me first." Ed spoke as he walked out into view, his eyes hard and his mouth set in a grim line. If a Firebender was looking for Aang, it didn't mean anything good for the latter. Ed refused to let anyone hurt someone dear to him ever again.

"Get out of my way! I'm only here for the Avatar, so get out my way!" The Firebender snarled, lighting up a fireball in his hand.

"I'm afraid not," Ed casually crossed his arms over his chest in a deceptive fighting stance. "What kind of person would I be if I sell out my little brother?"

Not giving the other a chance to respond, Ed dashed at the Firebender, letting his years of fighting experience take over. He had to admit though, for being a bender, the guy was good at coordinating his hand to hand combat with his bending.

However, since Ed hadn't gotten into a serious fight for at least ten years, his skills were getting rusty, as much as he hated to admit it. He left more open spots, areas that could be wounded fatally. His last fight had been at Ba Sing Se, when he was just collecting supplies. He had fought the Dragon of the West. It was a fun fight, since it was actually challenging. Father was still tougher.

Even though he was immortal now, he hated to think what his teacher would say to him. Or, more importantly, what she would do to him. Most probably something that included a lot of pain.

Eventually, Ed let down his guard for a split second too long, resulting in his opponent releasing a ball of flames, burning Ed's left arm. He could actually feel the flesh bubbling as pain shot up his left arm.

"I win." The Firebender declared, but much to his surprise, Ed smirked, before clapping his hands together and slamming them on to the floor, transmuting stone spikes which the other narrowly avoided, before retalliating with another fireball, which, much to his utter shock, was dispelled as the blonde clapped his hand once more before splaying them in front of himself, the fires vanishing with a blue electrical light.

"Not quite." Ed commented, looking at his ruined arm as red sparks flashed over the burn, new skin reconstructing over his raw flesh before frowning. "Well, there goes another coat. Damn, I really liked that coat!"

"What are you?! It's impossible for someone to instantly heal like that, and bend more than one element, aside from the Avatar!" The Firebenders narrowed his eyes as he looked at the blonde uneasily.

"A traveler," Ed dismissively shrugged before looking up at the approaching shadow. "And it's time for me to go."

Raising up his hand, he gripped onto Appa's leg as the said bison swooped down to collect the Alchemist.

"Don't let them get away! Head back to the ship!" Ed's opponent ordered angrily to the other soldiers before climbing back onto their mounts on which they had previously used to get to the village.

In the sky, Ed climbed onto the saddle, breathing a sigh of relief. "No matter how cool that exit was, I'm not doing it again. It's terrifying as hell!"

He blinked, seeing the lack of response from Aang. "Aang?"

Said person was looking down sadly at the ground as fires continued to burn at the village. "It's my fault. We shouldn't have stayed. Now look at what I've done."

"It's alright, Aang. Once we're gone, Zuko will follow us, and the village will be safe." Katara reassured him, not noticing the determined look that crossed Aang's face, just before he got up and jumped off Appa.

"Aang! What are you doing?!" Katara yelled after Aang, who disappeared under the water's surface.

"Something crazy and stupid, no doubt about it. Then again, who am I to talk?" Ed casually commented with his arms crossed.

Before Katara could say anything, the Unagi burst out of the water's surface, with Aang on top of it. Aang pulled the whiskers of the Unagi, which caused it to open it's mouth wide and a jet of water rained down on Kyoshi Island, putting out the flames.

Finally, Aang returned, landing on Appa lightly with a large grin on his face.

"That was crazy." Was the only thing Sokka could seem to come up with at the moment.

"I said so, didn't I?" Ed piped up, a smile creeping on his face. "And Sokka, get rid of the makeup."

~000~

"I don't understand it, uncle!" A certain Fire Nation prince fumed to his uncle aboard his ship, his clothes drenched, courtesy of that bath he recieved when Aang had put out all the fires. "I don't understand how that boy managed to bend more than one element! He bent the earth, before he dispelled my fire, and only firebenders can do that!"

The former General suddenly sat up straight. "Hold on, Prince Zuko. Did this boy have gold hair and eyes?"

"Yes, he did, but how do you know that?"

Iroh sighed. "I thought I'd never hear of him again."

"What do you mean, uncle?!" Zuko was getting quite impatient by this point.

"This boy, I've met him before. When I was at Ba Sing Se for six hundred days, I fought him once. He is a formidable opponent. I myself, have lost to him. Prince Zuko, if you fight him now, you will surely lose." Iroh warned to his nephew, who scoffed. "I injured him, and I would have won if I had known he could heal like that beforehand."

"He was going easy on you Prince Zuko. You have not seen what he truly can do. If he was not merciful, I would already have been dead back at Ba Sing Se." The General finished, leaving Zukp to mull over his own thoughts.

 **[A/N Well, that took a while to get out. Hopefully, this chapter was to your liking. AND HOW DO YOU LIKE THE TWIST OF KYOSHI ISLAND FORMERLY BEING RESEMBOOL? And before you say, "But Kyoshi Island is surrounded by water. Amestris is land locked." I know. It's been ten thousand years. You should expect changes in the Geography of the world. Especially since benders are screwing everything on land and water.**

 **I also know Ed stayed out of the war,but when he fought Iroh, it was because well, it was out of self defense. And yes, I know I can be pretty contridictory at times.**

 **Next chapter takes place at a certain crazy king's city. :)**

 **Bye bye~**

 **~ Gwntan12**


	4. Omashu

"It's been a while since I've done this," Edward commented as he trudged up the hill, following closely after Aang with Katara and Sokka trailing not too far behind.

A few minutes later, the gang stood at the top of the hill, where Aang broke out into a big smile, spreading out his arms for extra effect. "The Earth Kingdom, City of Omashu!"

"Good times," Edward whistled. "Good times, although I distinctly recall you falling from a height of about two hundred meters." To which Aang blushed sheepishly at.

"That was one time!"

"And I'm a sheep. And you should continue with your speech."

"Right! Anyway, we used to always come here to meet our friend Bumi!" Aang said, previous banter forgotten in a span of approximately two seconds.

"Wow," Katara gasped as she took in the huge city. It was to be expected since neither she or her brother had ever left the South Pole, and therefore, never came across large, thriving cities such as Omashu. "We don't have cities like this back in the South Pole!"

"They have buildings here that don't melt!" Sokka's eyes bugged, clearly drowning in the amazement of non ice buildings.

"What do you expect?" Edward asked him in a deadpan tone. "We're in _Earth kingdom_ territory, so sure, I'd expect the city to be made of ice."

As Sokka spluttered incoherently, the blond had a pretty good laugh at the male Water Tribe member's expense.

"Well let's go, slowpokes! The real fun is inside the city!" Aang exclaimed, sliding down the hill only for Katara to call him back.

"Wait Aang! It could be dangerous if people find out you're the Avatar." Katara explained, looking slightly worried. Well, quite frankly, Ed didn't see anything wrong with people finding out here. This was an Earth Kingdom city. Not a Fire Nation city. Ok, maybe it would be dangerous if there were spies, so...

Ed shuddered at the sudden thought of spies, since the only spy he knew of was a certain palm tree of a Homunculous... Good thing that said being was dead as a doornail.

On second thoughts, maybe it would be safer to hide. Edward highly doubted there were shape shifters in the Fire Nation, but you can't be too safe, right?

"You need a disguise." Sokka declared, voicing Edward's thoughts.

"So... What am I supposed to do?" Aang asked, raising a questioning eyebrow. "Grow a moustache?"

"That could be arranged," Edward piped up with a smile, casting a thoughtful glance at Appa before the two Water Tribe members caught on, twin smiles creeping on their faces.

0o0

A few minutes later, Aang had grown a fine, bushy white moustache, as well as a mass of white hair over his previously bald scalp.

"Ugh, this stuff is so itchy!" He complained, scratching his head before he turned to Appa. "How do you live in this stuff, buddy?' However, the only response he received was a gust of wind to the face.

"Great, now you look just like my grandfather." Sokka said blandly. Though Edward highly doubted that was true, otherwise Sokka must have had one hell of a wrinkle-free grandpa, or he just used a lot of facial creme. Or was Sokka just using sarcasm?

"Well, technically Aang _is_ a hundred and twelve years old." Katara commented, crossing her arms over her chest, an amused smile crossing over his lips, before she frowned once more as she noticed something off.

Turning to Edward, she spoke. "Ed, you should change the color of your coat."

This gained Katara a large frown as said person hugged his coat protectively. "Why?" He protested defensively. "I like the color! It makes me feel badass!" _'And it's meant to ensure I remember.'_

"Ed, someone wearing Fire Nation colors in an _Earth Kingdom city_ will draw unwanted attention." Katara explained to Edward, much like how a mother would to a stubborn child who wanted something, ignoring the 'badass' comment with such skill, that the Alchemist had to wonder if she had to deal with something like this often. Then again, she _did_ have Sokka for a brother, so it was likely.

"... Fine." Edward grumbled reluctantly a few long moments later, transmuting his bright red coat to a dull brown. "But I'm changing it back later!"

Katara rolled her eyes at him but said nothing else, indicating that she might have been used to such childishness from her brother. Then again, with a brother like Sokka, it was highly likely.

Without further ado, Aang then procceded to spin his staff far too energetically for a hundred and twelve year old. "Well, let's get going, young whipper snappers!" Aang's imitation of an old man wasn't too bad, but could use some work. "The city awaits!"

"Hey! For an 'old man', you're a little too spritely!" Edward called after him, trying to keep up to the Airbender's absurd speed.

0o0

Up close, the city was larger then one would have expected, which was stared at in awe by the newcomers. Aang and Edward however, were completely unaffected since they had been there before.

As soon as the city had finished receiving all the attention, and the two siblings were focused once more, Edward turned to Aang and said, "You know, I'm suddenly getting the feeling that this city has changed a lot over the past century."

Aang just beamed at him through the disguise. "Don't worry Ed! Remember how nice the people were? I'm sure that hasn't changed!"

Almost conviently, a commotion at the front of Omashu's gates caught the group's attention. "Rotten cabbages?! What kind of rotten slum do you think this is?!"

The guard threw the cabbage to the ground as the older cabbage seller gasped at the blatant manhandling of his precious cabbages, but was in for a larger heart attack as the guard Earthbended the cart of cabbages off the pathway, and into the ravine.

"No! My cabbages!" The seller screamed in anguish as he watched his precious products disappear into the ravine.

"... You were saying?" Edward deadpanned as he raised an eyebrow in Aang's direction.

"Just keep smiling..."

Making their way to the imposing stone walls of Omashu, albeit warily, one of the guards raised a boulder over the group's heads, as if threatening to crush them. "State your business!" The guard barked in a threatening way, but was in no way prepare for what happened next.

Aang, still posing as an old man, was instantly in front of the guard, jabbing a finger at the guard as the shell shocked Katara and Sokka gaped, while Edward nodded in approval. "My business is my business, young man! For your rudeness, I ought to bend you over my knee and spank your backside!"

"He's good." Edward whispered to Sokka who was next to him, who dumbly nodded, mouth still hanging open as he gaped at the Airbender. For someone who probably never acted in a real situation before, that was some pretty good acting.

"Woah, settle down old timer," The guard held up his hands in a placating manner. "Just tell me who you and these people are."

"The name's Bonzu. Bonzu Pippinpaddlepopokkopliscis. The Third." Aang answered, most likely having made the ridiculously long surname on the spot. "And these are my grandkids, except for him." Aang pointed at Edward, who breathed a sigh of relief. At least he didn't have to try and say that long name, although the same couldn't be said for Katara.

"June Pippinpaddlepopokkopliscis, sir. Nice to meet you." Katara had trouble trying to pronounce the name, so Edward had to briefly wonder how Aang had managed to produce whatever he had made up.

The guard scratched his chin, staring at Katara before saying, "You seem like a responsible young lady. Keep your grandfather out of trouble, and enjoy your stay in Omashu."

"We will!" Katara said, hurriedly propelling Aang towards the gate, Edward and Sokka following closely behind, before the guard suddenly narrowed his eyes, grabbing Sokka by the shoulder since he was the closest. He froze, fearing the worse.

"Wait a minute," The guard said, the group holding their breath. "A strong young man like you should show some respect to the elderly! Show your grandfather some respect and carry his bags!"

Everyone seemed to release the breath they had been holding as Aang happily nodded. "Good idea!" He said, throwing his bag to Sokka who barely caught it. Edward barely stifled a snicker as Sokka pulled a sulky face.

"Enjoy your stay." The guard declared as the other guards Earthbent the thick stone walls open, allowing the group to pass. However, just before the group disappeared from view, the guard could have sworn he saw long ears poking out from the 'old' man's head.

0o0

As the stone walls closed behind them, Aang threw his hands up in a dramatic fashion. "This is cool, right guys? I still remember what Bumi, Ed and I used to do when we came here a hundred years ago!"

Sokka had to wonder, if Aang was over a hundred years old, why wasn't Edward an old man? It just didn't make sense. However, before he could ponder on this further, Aang continued, "Bumi always told me to open my mind to the possibilities, and he gave me an example." He gestured to the winding delivery system that was spread out through the entirety of the city. "The World's greatest Super Slide!"

0o0

The group sat in one of the carts that Edward may or may not have borrowed (stolen) for them to use. The Alchemist sat that ride out, seeing how the cart wouldn't fit all four of them in. Plus, Edward didn't feel like using Alchemy to enlarge the cart since it would be too big to fit on the slide.

"Just one ride, and then we'll be on our way." Aang reassured Katara.

"Um, Aang?" Katara said, looking nervously at the sheer drop from the top. "I know it sounded fun at first, but I'm really starting to have second th-OUGHTS!" She screamed the last few syllables of the word as Edward pushed the cart off the ledge with his foot, laughing.

The two Water Tribe members' screaming could be heard clearly as the cart sped out of view.

"Oh, wow!" Edward choked on his laughter. "That was priceless!"

 _'Brother, that wasn't very nice!'_

Edward's eyes widened, before he whipped around, in search of the voice. "Al?!"

There was no one there.

He gave a sad smile as he buried his face in his hands. "Of course... how could I be so stupid? Alphonse is already dead, no matter how much I wish he wasn't. I can't change it. I can't change the fact that I'm at fault for their deaths, nor can I bring them back."

He sighed. "Oh, Alphonse. What would you have done if you were me?"

0o0

To say the two Water Tribe members weren't beyond terrified would be an understatement. At the very least, they probably could have been heard all the way to the Fire Nation.

When Aang used his Airbending to increase the speed, the screams only increased in volume.

As all this unfolded, a rather normal looking man whistled at the events as he grinned widely.

"Woohoo! Things are getting exciting around here! It's been awhile since I've last seen him, so I wonder how he's doing?"

0o0

Edward walked down the street, casually watching the damage caused by the three cart riders.

"And they say I'm bad." He smirked as he fixed up the damage with a clap of his hands. "How did one ride turn out like this?"

Just then, Edward bumped into someone, causing him to stumble. However, the other just kept on walking, before disappearing into the crowd.

The Alchemist huffed, muttering, "Rude." Before straightening out his coat and stuffing his hands into his pocket. He blinked in surprise as his hand closed around something that felt like paper.

Pulling it out, he found that it was indeed a piece of paper, and it had six words scribbled onto it.

 _Hang in there, Ed._

 _\- A friend._

Immediately, Edward searched for the messenger. A friend? He didn't have any of those anymore, did he? Other than his current choice of companions at least.

Pushing this to the back of his mind, he realised that not only had he lost sight of his three charges, but he was also missing one tiny little detail...

"Where the hell is my wallet?!"

0o0

After their crazy adventure on the delivery system which ended with them crashing onto a merchant's cart full of cabbages, Aang, Katara, and Sokka were all arrested before being brought to the king.

They had all pretty much expected some form of punishment, especially with the cabbage merchant calling for their heads, so it was relieving that the king ordered a feast to be thrown for them.

Also, the trio were kind of hoping Edward would come out of nowhere and help them out since the king seemed to have a few screws loose.

However, through a series of events, it was discovered that Aang was the Avatar (Although it seemed like the king suspected it from the beginning), which eventually led them to their current situation.

"I wonder what the three deadly challenges will be." Aang said, looking down worriedly.

"Well, we're not sticking around to find out." Katara said firmly. "We need to find a way out of here, plus I'm sure Ed must be pretty worried."

"We did leave him behind." Sokka commented.

Suddenly, Aang gasped as he pointed at the air vents. "The air vents!"

The two siblings stared at the Airbender.

"If you really think we'd be able to fit through that pipe, you're crazier than that king." Sokka deadpanned.

"Maybe not us," Aang smiled. "But Momo can!"

Said lemur had already helped himself to the fruits on the table and was looking rather fat as he absent-mindedly licked the half eaten apple next to him.

"Momo, I need you to go find Ed to get us out of here!" Momo blankly looked up at Aang.

Minutes later, Aang could be seen trying to push the poor lemur through the air vent, but to no avail. "Come on boy! Go get Ed!"

"Eh, are you sure you can trust Ed to get us out of here?" Sokka asked.

Aang looked almost hurt. "Of course I do! I trust him! Don't you?"

"Not really." Sokka bluntly stated.

Katara whacked her brother on his head. "Ow! Katara, what was that for?!"

"Sokka, that was just rude! What even brought that on?!" She scolded.

"I'm just saying," Sokka began. "He hides too many things! It just doesn't feel right."

Aang frowned. "Ed doesn't like sharing his secrets. Monk Gyatso told me I'd understand when I was older, but..." He trailed off slightly, before he continued. "I trust Ed. I know he's a good person. Monk Gyatso told me so as well."

"That's another thing." Sokka began. "You said you met him a hundred years ago. So why hasn't he aged at all? I know I said this earlier, but isn't that a little weird?"

"Well, you could just ask him!" Aang said, still feeling a little hurt that his friends didn't trust Edward. "I'm sure he has a good reason."

"Well, no point arguing about it now." Katara said, being the voice of reason. "You should get some rest Aang. It looks like you'll need it for tomorrow."

"Yeah..." Aang agreed, still nervous for the next day as he fell asleep.

0o0

Edward sighed as he peered around a corner before ducking back as soon as he caught sight of a guard. Trust Aang and his friends to get into trouble so quickly. It was almost like they were looking for trouble. Now he knew how Mustang felt like when he got into trouble.

As soon as the guard disappeared from sight, Edward dashed to the door of the thronenroom before he kicked it open. He had overheard that Aang was being tested with three deadly challenges, and that the tests had already been completed.

Sure enough, Aang and apparently the king were there, along with Katara and Sokka, all of whom turned to look at Edward (who had already switched his coat back to red) in surprise.

"Finally! I was wondering when I was going to find you guys! What did I miss?" The blond huffed in relief.

"Great job. You were so much help when you weren't here." Sokka sarcastically said.

"Thank you." Edward replied cheekily.

"Sokka! Don't be rude!"

Aang beamed at him. "Ed! You'll never believe who the king is!"

Edward looked at the old man. "An old man?" He tried, although he had a feeling that wasn't the answer.

"Who are you calling old?" The older man huffed, before he paused. "Okay, I'm old."

"Ed, don't you recognise Bumi?" Aang asked the Alchemist.

Edward blinked, staring at the king for a few moments before doing a doing a double take. "Bumi?! You're an old geezer?!"

"That's right!" Bumi snorted with laughter. "And you haven't changed a bit either, literally, just like Aang. You two need to tell me how you both stay young like that!"

"Yeah, I guess." Edward smiled. "Well, it's nice to see you again."

Turning back to Aang, Bumi spoke. "Aang, you have a difficult task ahead of you. This world has changed a lot in the hundred years you've been gone. It is the Avatar's duty to restore balance to the world by defeating Fire Lord Ozai. You must master all four elements, and confront the Fire Lord. And when you do, I hope you think like a mad genius." The old man finished with a grin on his face.

Aang smiled appreciatively as he put his fist to his hand and bowed.

"And it looks like you're in good hands," Bumi continued. "You'll need your friends to help you defeat the Fire Lord."

Just then, Momo ran up to Aang and quickly climbed up onto his shoulder after probably having a snack.

"And you'll need Momo too!" Bumi added. "But remember. Edward is probably the best ally you could ever have, so be sure to listen to him."

Edward grinned. "You figured it out, didn't you?"

"That's right!" Bumi cackled like the old man he was.

"Um, we're all kind of confused here, so an explanation would be nice." Sokka voiced out the others' thoughts.

"All in good time, Sokka." Edward grinned, as if hiding some big secret, much to all of their disappointment. "Plus, what's the fun in just telling you?"

"I knew I rubbed off on you!" Bumi cackled.

"Thank you for your advice, Bumi." Aang thanked his friend, before an excited gleam entered his eyes. "But before we leave, I have a challenge for you."

"That's right." Edward spoke, the exact same gleam entering his eyes. "Besides, I didn't get my chance to have fun on the delivery system yesterday."

0o0

"This is still so awesome!" Edward laughed over the wind, a large grin set on his face that Aang and Bumi shared as their ride quickly whizzed down the delivery system.

One crash later, and a certain merchant could be heard throughout the whole city.

"MY CABBAGES!"

 **A/N So I finally stopped procrastinating and got down to write this chapter. Well, I probably would still have been proprocrastinating if it weren't for the reviews I saw in my inbox. I was so flattered! So, I immediately got down to write this thing.** **Unfortunately, I skipped out the three deadly challenges, since it would have gone the exact same way as it had it the series, since Edward wasn't there to change anything. So I hope you guys don't mind.** **Also, I made Sokka suspicious of Edward since some people pointed out to me that it wasn't right that they weren't questioning his apparent immortality. Also, Edward does have his reasons for not telling them, and not just because it's 'fun'.** **Well, thanks for reading this!** **Bye bye!** **~ Gwntan12**


	5. Imprisoned

Aang and Katara were waiting for Edward and Sokka by Appa as the two of them had offered to go and find food. Aang sat on a rock to relax, while Katara busied herself by folding up a blanket she had used during the night.

"I'm back!" Aang sat up at Sokka's voice as Katara turned her head to her brother.

"Where's Ed?" Aang asked curiously as he used his airbending to push himself to his feet.

Sokka shrugged. "Eh, who knows? We went our separate ways a while back. He said something about covering more distance."

"I see." Katara said, before she asked. "So, what have you got for dinner?"

"Let's see..." Sokka rummaged around in his sack before pulling out a nut. "First, some round nuts. Then some oval shaped nuts. And some rock shaped nuts." He paused. "Although, they're probably just rocks."

Sokka threw away the rock, which landed in front of Momo. "Dig in."

Katara and Aang shared a look. "Seriously, what else have you got?" Katara asked, not believing that her brother only found nuts, because nuts really wasn't a good choice for dinner.

"Maybe Ed found something more?" Aang said it like a question, not entirely sure if Edward had indeed found something more than Sokka, even if it was much more likely. But still, it's nice to imagine. "He does know how to find food."

"And I'm back." Edward said as he walked to them with... Green bread? "All the animals are hiding and all the plants are poisonous, one way or another."

"Uh... Ed, is that supposed to be green? And where's your coat?" Aang asked cautiously, pointing a finger at the bread. Okay, maybe it wasn't really that green. It just had a slight greenish tinge, that wasn't very noticeable.

"Unfortunately." Edward answered as he sat down. "Side effect of it being nutritious, I guess. As for my coat, it's been shredded by a platypus bear, and don't ask why."

"Okay."

"Yeah, anyway, I'm sure that's edible." Sokka sarcastically commented, giving the bread a pointed look.

"It is." As if to prove his point, Edward tore off a bit and threw it into his mouth, grimacing slightly. "Although it tastes less than pleasant."

"Where did you even get that?" Katara asked incredulously.

"Secret." Edward said. "All I'm telling you is that it's made from grass."

Before anyone else could say anything, a loud boom echoed through the forest. It sounded like rock hitting against rock.

"What was that?!" Sokka exclaimed in shock.

Another boom, louder than the first.

"It's coming from over there!" Aang pointed in the direction of the loud booms as he jumped up and ran to find the source, Katara following close behind.

"Shouldn't we run away from huge booms, and not towards it?!" Sokka yelled after them, exasperated, only for Edward to run past him and drag him along to investigate. "Nope! We'd never get done then!" Edward answered.

Upon arriving at the scene which was at what could have possibly been a dried riverbed, the group immediately noticed the cause of the loud sounds. A sole Earthbender was lifting boulders before mimicking a punching movement to send the boulder into the earth.

"An Earthbender!" Aang said, in complete awe.

"Maybe we should go say hi?" Katara suggested with a smile.

"I don't know," Sokka began, suspicion written all over his face. "He looks dangerous. I think we should approach him cautiously-"

"Hello there! I'm Katara, so what's your name?" Katara had already left the cover of the rocks and stood out in the open, hands cupped around her mouth in an attempt to amplify her voice.

"Does no one listen to me?!" Edward placed a hand on the frustrated Sokka's shoulder, an amused look in his eyes. "Unfortunately for you, no."

However, the Earthbender only stared at them in what Edward recognised as silent alarm for a few seconds before he turned and ran, bending the rocks to fall behind him to prevent the group from following him.

"I just wanted to say hi," Katara said, sounding slightly disappointed.

Suddenly, Aang lit up. "Hey, that guy's gotta be running to somewhere, right? Maybe there's a village nearby, and I bet they have a market!"

Catching on, Katara imitated the same look on Aang's face as she clasped her hands in front of her. "And that means no nuts for dinner!"

"Which also means I don't have to eat that poor excuse of bread!" Edward happily added as he followed Aang and Katara.

"Hey, I worked hard to get those nuts!" Sokka protested for a moment, before he wilted, following his companions. "Yeah, I hate them too."

0o0

True enough, there was a village nearby and fortunately, the residents didn't seem too wary of travellers, which meant they could go and get what they needed.

"Great hat! I'll trade you some nuts for it." Or in Aang's case, what he wanted. Although, Edward had to admit, while the hat wasn't as good as the ones back in Amestris, it had a decent quality.

"Hey!" The blond heard Katara's slight exclamation before he turned around, just in time to see the same person from before enter a house.

Katara was ahead of him, moving to confront the teenager who had just been speaking to who Edward guessed was his mother.

"Hey, you're that kid! Why'd you run away before?" Katara asked curiously.

The teenager froze momentarily, before he nervously said, "Uh, you must have me confused with some other kid."

"No, she doesn't." Aang said, following Katara. "We saw you Earthbending."

A look of horror crossed their faces as the teenager's mother gasped before she quickly shut the door and window. Internally, Edward mused to himself how suspicious that must have been to the people outside.

"They saw you _what_?!" His mother seemed terrified as she looked back at them.

"They're crazy, mom!" The teenager defended. "I mean, look at how they're dressed!"

All four of them self-consciously, checked their clothes.

"Don't you know how dangerous that is?" The woman scolded her son. "You know what would happen if they caught you bending, Haru!"

Just then, there was a loud pounding on the front door. "Open up!"

Sokka quickly made his way to the window and peered through the blinds before giving a warning of, "Fire Nation!"

Thinking quick, he said, "Act natural!"

Haru's mother opened the door, and the Fire Nation man let himself in, his eyes scrutinising the occupants slightly suspiciously.

Sokka and Haru seemed to be discussing about an apple, Katara looked like she was eating berries, and Aang was just grinning as he leaned on a water barrel, only for the lid to tip over and cause his hand to fall through. Edward just pretended to read a book he produced from his pocket.

"What do you want?" Haru's mother asked, hostility clear in her voice. "I've already paid you this week."

" The tax just doubled," The soldier said, a smirk on his face as he bent fire in his hands. _A Firebender_ , Edward noted with narrowed eyes as he replaced his book back in his pocket.

"You wouldn't want an accident, would we?" The Alchemist was just itching to punch the soldier in the face with his automail. "Fire can be so hard to control."

Haru's mother had a resigned look in her eyes as she went to fetch the money. The chest she kept the money in was almost bare, with just a few coins.

Handing over what was left if the coins, the soldier counted the amount before nodding in approval.

"You can keep the copper ones." He said as he dropped the copper coins on the floor before he left, leaving Haru's mother to pick up the coins on the ground.

"Nice guy." Sokka sarcastically said, glaring at the direction the soldier had left in.

"He's so getting a fist to the face the next time I see him." Edward growled, clenching his fists tightly.

"How long has this been going on?" Katara asked, appalled at the actions of the Fire Nation and the blatant unfairness of it all.

"Five years." Haru's mother said grimly as she straightened up. "Fire Lord Ozai uses out town's coal mines to fuel his ships."

"They're thugs. All of them. And everyone is too much of a coward to stand up to them." Haru glared at the floor with crossed arms.

"Quiet, Haru!" His mother admonished. "Don't talk like that."

"But, Haru's an Earthbender! He can help!" Katara exclaimed.

"Earthbending is forbidden." Haru's mother explained grimly. "It's caused this village nothing but misery. Haru must never use his abilities."

"How could you say that?" Katara asked, shocked. To her, bending was one of the most important things to her. Therefore, hearing something like this shocked her. "Asking him not to Earthbender is like asking me not to Waterbend! It's apart of who we are!"

"You don't understand." The older woman said.

"I understand that Haru can help fight back!" Katara responded. "What can the Fire Nation do to you that they haven't done already?"

"They could take Haru away," Katara looked stunned. "Like they took his father."

0o0

"My mom said you guys could stay here for the night." Haru said, leading them to the stables. "But, you should leave here in the morning."

"Thanks!" Aang said, showing his gratitude. "We'll make sure Appa doesn't eat all of your hay."

Although, it seemed rather unlikely that there was going to be any hay left at the rate Appa was eating.

Katara left with Haru a few minutes later, probably to talk about what happened earlier. So, Edward took his chance to take a walk to clear his mind, and also plot how to secretly kick some Fire Nation butt.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. Even ten thousand years later, wars were still waged. It made him sad, really. One would have expected humanity to learn from their past mistakes, but no. Always the same cycle repeating itself over and over again.

He let a smile cross his face as his mind drifted to something. If his teacher was still alive, she'd have single handedly made all the Fire Nation troops in the area retreat with their tails between their legs. To say that Izumi would have been upset that her former home town had been occupied by the Fire Nation would have been an understatement. Hell, even saying that she would be furious would have still been a serious understatement! It made Edward shiver to think about it.

Soon, while Edward was walking through a forested area, voices drifted over to his position. Moving closer, he found that the voices belonged to Katara and Haru.

Keeping himself hidden behind a tree which was close to the small cliff the two were at, he listened in to their conversation since he was curious.

Loosing a parent... Edward felt his heart clench as he listened. The hardest thing for a child to experience was the loss of a parent by death or otherwise. The Alchemist could still remember when his father left as clear as day, and the day where he watched his mother succumb to her illness.

No child should have to experience the pain of loss.

As Katara and Haru left the area, Edward allowed himself one bitter chuckle at the irony before he himself left the area.

0o0

Nightfall arrived quickly for the group, and as soon as Katara and returned, she immediately retold the tale of how Haru had saved and old man from a mine collapse with his Earthbending.

"Haru was so brave to use his Earthbending to save that old man," Katara smiled, looking down at the lamp in her hands.

"You must have really inspired him, Katara." Aang said from where he was lounging on Appa's saddle.

"I guess so." Katara replied.

"Everyone should get some sleep," Sokka spoke up from his makeshift bed of hay. "We're leaving at dawn."

"Dawn?" Katara repeated in surprise. "Can't we sleep in for once?"

"Absolutely not!" Sokka exclaimed firmly. "This village is crawling with Fire Nation troops, and if they find out that Aang is here, we'll be eating fireballs for breakfast. Goodnight."

"I'd rather eat fireballs than nuts." Edward let out a snort of laughter at Katara's reference to Sokka's poor food haul that morning.

Sokka made a face at his sister as Aang and Katara laughed. "Goodnight!"

"Sokka does have a point, though." Edward said as his laughter calmed down. "I don't really want to deal with the Fire Nation so early in the morning, so goodnight."

As the remaining laughter died down, Katara extinguished their lantern and they settled down to rest.

0o0

It had seemed like a normal morning. Aang was helping Sokka pack up their sleeping bags while Katara had gone out to fetch water. Edward was just having a drink of water.

The peace was then suddenly broken when Katara burst in, nearly hysterical. "They took him! They took Haru away!"

Edward did a spit take and choked on his water before exclaiming, "What?!" At the same time as Aang.

"The old man turned him over to the Fire Nation! It's all my fault, I forced him into Earthbending!" Katara cried.

"Slow down, Katara," Sokka tried to calm his sister, who was nearly in tears, before comforting her. "When did this happen?"

"Haru's mother said they came for him at midnight." Katara told him.

"Then he's long gone." Sokka frowned. "It's too late too track him."

"We don't need to track him." Katara said, an idea forming in her mind as she broke away from her brother's comfort. "Because the Fire Nation is going to take me right to Haru."

"Why would they do that?" Aang asked incredulously.

"Because they're going to arrest me for Earthbending!" Katara said, determination shining in her eyes.

"That's it, she's lost it." Edward deadpanned as Aang and Sokka shared looks that clearly said that they thought Katara was off her rocker.

0o0

"I thought you were insane at first, Katara, but this might actually work." Sokka told his sister as they rolled a large boulder over a ventilation shaft.

"There a ventilation shafts throughout this mine, and all Aang has to do send an current through that ventilation shaft over there, and tada! Fake Earthbending!" Sokka looked proud of himself for thinking up something like this.

"Aang, did you get all that?" Katara asked the Airbender, who was playing with a butterfly.

"Sure, sure. I got it." Aang said, not really listening.

"Do you remember your cue?" Sokka added in.

"Yeah, yeah! Just relax! You're taking all the fun out of this!"

"By 'fun', do you mean intentionally getting captured by an army of ruthless Firebenders?" Sokka asked, eye twitching.

"Exactly! That's fun stuff!"

"Hey! Here they come!" Edward, who was on watch duty, called to the three as soon as he saw a troop of Fire Nation soldiers. "Get in your places!"

Katara and Sokka walked towards each other, pretending to bump into each other.

"Hey, get out of my way, pipsqueak!" Sokka tried to sound intimidating as he said this.

"How dare you call me a pipsqueak, you giant eared freak!" Katara responded, trying to sound annoyed.

"What did you call me?!"

"A giant eared freak! I mean, look at those things! Do herds of animals use them for shade?"

"You better back off!" After a pause, Sokka added. "No, seriously, back off."

"I will not back off! I bet elephants gather and make fun of how large your ears are!" Sokka self-consciously looked at his ears.

"That's it! You're going down!" The male exclaimed.

"I'll show you who's boss!" Katara exclaimed before she made a stance similar to that of an Earthbender's. "Earthbending style!"

When nothing happened, Edward facepalmed before he slammed his forehead against the rock wall of his hiding place.

"I said, EARTHBENDING STYLE!" Katara repeated, louder this time.

Finally, Aang seemed to remember what he was supposed to be doing and he immediately sent an air current through the vent, causing the boulder to rise up, making it seem as if Katara was indeed Earthbending.

"Look!" The soldier in the front gasped. "That lemur, it's Earthbending!"

Edward facepalmed for the second time that day. Sometimes, just sometimes, he feared for humanity, but not in the way one would expect.

"No! It's the girl Earthbending, stupid!" Sokka exclaimed, gesturing to Katara.

"Took the words right out of my mouth." Edward mumbled to himself as Aang stopped the air current, causing the boulder to fall back to the ground.

"Oh. Right." The soldier looked embarrassed.

"I'll hold her." Sokka said, holding onto Katara's shoulders before discreetly whispering into her ear. "You have twelve hours to find Haru. We'll be right behind you."

Katara was arrested and taken away. As the Fire Nation soldiers left, Sokka must still have been feeling self-conscious about the comment about the size of his ears, because he turned to Momo and said, "Momo, you have some pretty big ears."

0o0

Afterwards, Katara was taken to the docks where she boarded a ship that would take her to wherever the other Earthbenders were.

Aang, Sokka and Edward tailed the ship until their destination was in sight. The monk was reluctant to leave Katara by herself, but with a bit of convincing from Sokka that Katara could take care of herself, they left with the intention of returning later during the night.

But for now, they had to find a way to pass the time.

"Discarding two." Sokka said, face scrunched up in concentration.

"Drawing one." Edward dismissively said.

"So, is this the part we show our cards?"

"If you want, yes."

"You're going down! Full house!"

"Royal Straight Flush."

"WHAT?!"

0o0

After sixteen rounds of Poker (After explaining how to play the game) and Sokka losing miserably each time (because a certain Alchemist was cheating, but Sokka didn't know that), nightfall finally arrived for the group.

The darkness of the night provided them cover from Fire Nation eyes as they headed to the rig on Appa.

Aang went to find Katara while Sokka and Edward waited. A few minutes later, Katara and the Airbender returned.

"Your twelve hours are up, where's Haru? We have to get out of here!" Sokka exclaimed as quietly as possible.

"I can't." Katara looked back to where she came from.

"We don't have much time! There are guards everywhere! Get on!" Sokka tried to convince his sister, holding out his hand.

"Katara, what's wrong?" Aang asked, surprised.

A look of pure determination crossed the Waterbender's face. "I'm not leaving." Aang and Sokka shared incredulous looks while Edward looked at Katara in surprise. There was more to Katara than he had expected. "I'm not giving up on these people."

"What do you mean you're not leaving?!" Sokka exclaimed, confused at his sister's actions.

"I can't abandon these people!" Katara responded. "There has to be something we can do to help them!"

"Maybe she's right, Sokka." Aang suggested. "What do you say, Sokka?"

"I say you're both crazy!" Edward chose to speak up the moment Sokka said that. "Make that three. I agree with Katara. We can't just leave like this. We have to help."

A search light came a little closer to them than they would have liked.

Sokka shook his head in frustration. "I hate it when you're all like this. Come one, we better hide."

Quickly darting into cover, Aang only paused for a moment to whisper something to Appa before he followed the rest. Appa soon left to hide as well, barely missing two Fire Nation soldiers who caught a glimpse of him.

0o0

The group was hidden by some crates. "Why are we going to do?" Sokka asked.

"I wish I knew how to make a hurricane." Aang lamented. Seeing the others deadpan looks, he explained. "Then when the warden escapes, we could steal his keys!"

"Wouldn't he just take his keys with him?" Sokka asked in a deadpan voice.

"I'm just tossing out ideas!"

"I'm so tempted to destroy the rig." Edward muttered to himself. "But then everyone who doesn't know how to swim would drown. Too bad that the only earth around is the seabed, and who knows how far that is down?"

"I tried talking the Earthbenders into fighting back, but they didn't listen!" Katara looked down. "If only we could help them help themselves."

"But for them to help themselves, we need some kind of Earth, something that they could bend!"

"But this entire place is made of metal!" Katara exclaimed.

Aang sighed, looking up at the sky as if to ask what they could do, before he noticed something. "No, it's not." He said in realisation. "Look at the smoke. I bet they're burning coal."

"In other words, Earth." Edward finished.

0o0

"It's almost dawn. We're running out of time!" Katara said worriedly. "Are you sure this going to work?"

"I'm sure." Sokka reassured her. "These vents remind me of our trick back at the village. So we're going to do the same thing, but on a much larger scale. There's a huge coal deposit at the bottom of this rig. It's been ventilated, so Aang closed off all the vents except for one, so when he does his airbending, the coal will have nowhere to go but here."

"Making use of the pressure, basically." Edward summed up the entire plan. "Not bad. You're smarter than most give you credit for."

Before Sokka could say anything, there was a shout. "There's the intruders!"

"Crap!" Edward hissed under his breath as he realised they had been surrounded before they had realised it.

"Stay back!" Sokka exclaimed, drawing out his boomerang.

"Katara, stop! You can't win this fight!" An older man exclaimed.

The warden stepped forward. "Listen to him well, child. You're one mistake away from dying where you stand."

Edward wouldn't have let that happen, even if it meant revealing what he really was. Luckily, he didn't need to do that, for exactly five seconds later, the coal burst from the vent, imitating a volcano eruption before falling back to the ground. Aang emerged a moment later, covered in dust before he started coughing, ridding himself of the coal dust.

"Here's your chance, Earthbenders!" Katara shouted, holding up a piece of coal. "Take it! You're fate is in your hands!"

No one moved, and suddenly, the warden laughed.

"Foolish girl," He sneered. "You think a few inspirational words and a few pieces of coal would change these people? Look at those blank hopeless faces. Their spirits were broken a long time ago! And you still believe in them. How sweet. They're a waste of your energy, little girl. You failed."

With those parting words, the warden turned and made to leave, bringing his soldiers with him. However, he hadn't moved more than five steps away before a piece of coal struck him in the back of his head.

The warden turned, rage clear on his face as he spotted the culprit. Haru had a few pieces of coal as he bent them over his palm.

The warden's rage seemed to fuel his firebending as he sent out a burst of flames at the young Earthbender. However, before the flames could even touch Haru, his father bent a wall of Earth to shield his son.

"Show no mercy!" All patience the warden had left went straight out of the window as he gave his order, he and the soldiers he commanded bending fire at the Earthbenders.

Three Earthbenders, including Haru's father, brought up yet another shield of Earth. "For the Earth Kingdom, attack!"

They sent the wall of earth crashing down to the soldiers, and from there on out, it was complete madness. A full out brawl with bending. Not that Edward really minded. Brawls were fun, no matter what day and age it was.

Edward laughed as he took down the soldier with simple punches, watching them as they dropped like flies. These soldiers were pathetic. If General Armstrong saw them, she'd come down like a bear on them.

Soon, Edward's metal fist came into contact with with the warden's nose, giving a satisfying crunch. "I've been waiting to do that!" He laughed.

A loud crash echoed through the rig. Haru and his father had compressed the coal into a huge ball, sending it right through the metal wall that prevented the Earthbenders from escaping, and sending a few soldiers falling off the top of the wall.

Edward winced. That had to hurt.

"To the ships, quickly!" Haru's father called. "Well hold them off!"

"Do not let them escape!" The warden shouted to his man, voice sounding nasal as he held his nose to stop the bleeding that Edward's punch had caused.

As Edward regrouped with his companions, Aang seemed to have an idea as he created a small air tunnel with airbending. "Guys! Throw me some coal!"

Katara and Sokka immediately complied, adding coal to Aang's air tunnel which had a similar effect to machine gun as the coal sprayed out and hit the soldiers, warden included. However the effect differed in how the soldiers currently didn't have holes in them.

Suddenly, the coal shifted beneath the soldiers who were down for the moment, moving them over the ocean.

"Please, no!" The warden begged, all bravery gone in a matter of seconds. "I can't swim!"

"Don't worry," Haru's father said while he held up the coal with three other Earthbenders. "I hear cowards float."

Releasing their hold over the coal, the Fire Nation soldiers fell to the ocean, screaming much like how little girls would.

0o0

Edward sighed contentedly as the rig gradually disappeared from sight as the ships they were on sailed away.

Turning to Katara, he gave a pat on her shoulder, making her look at him in surprise. "You did good, Katara." He smiled. "I couldn't have pulled that off."

Slightly embarrassed about the praise, she looked to the side. "I'm sure anyone could have..."

As Haru qnd his father approached, most likely to speak to Katara, Edward let his thoughts drift. A small victory like this in comparison to the war may not seem like a lot, but every bit counted for something.

"We can win this." Edward whispered to himself with a smile, but he was yanked out of his thoughts when he heard Katara's near hysterical voice.

"My mother's necklace! It's gone!"

 **[A/N Woohoo! I did this chapter in a few weeks or two rather than procrastinating for six something months!** **I frankly can't wait to write the next chapter, since there's so much I can do with it.**

 **However, it would take me longer to write seeing as how school has just started. Really. It's like 6 in the morning here while I'm eating breakfast, and I'm just typing this thing out.** **So yeah. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and have a good day!**

 **~Gwntan12]**


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